Low fat, low carb, or Mediterranean: which diet is right for you?

Losing weight sometimes takes experimentation. If you give a diet your best shot and it does not work long term, may be it was not the right one for you, your metabolism, or your situation.Genes,families,your environment - even your friends - influence how, why, what and how much you eat, so don't get too discouraged or beat yourself up because a diet that "worked for everybody" didn't pay off for you. Try another, keeping in mind that almost any diet will help you shed pounds - atleast for a short time.

Here is a look at three common diet approaches.

1. Low fat: does not taste Great... and is less filling

Once the main strategy for losing weight, low fat diets were shoved aside by low-carb frenzy. But healthy fats can actually promote weight loss, and some fats are good for the heart; eliminating them from the diet can cause problems.

Since fat contains nine calories per gram while carbohydrates contain four, you can theoretically eat more without taking in more calories by cutting back on fatty foods and eating more that are full of carbohydrates, especially water-rich fruits and vegetables. Still such a diet tends to be less filling and flavourful than other diets, which lessens it long-term appeal. And if the carbs you eat in place of fat are highly processed and rapidly digested, you may be sabotaging your weight loss plan.

2. Low carbohydrate: Quick weight loss but long-term safety questions

Eating carbohydrates - especially highly processed ones like white bread and white rice quickly boosts blood sugar, which triggers an outpouring of insulin from the pancreas. The surge of insulin can rapidly drop

3. Mediterranean style: Healthy fats and carbs with a big side of fruits and vegetables…

MAKE YOUR OWN…

A good diet should provide plenty of choices, relatively few restrictions, and no longer grocery lists of sometimes expensive special foods. It should be good for your heart, bones, brain and colon as it is for your waistline. And it should be something you sustain for years. Such a diet will not give you a quick fix. But they can offer you something better- a lifetime of savoury, healthy choices that will be good for all of you, not just a part of you…